Helston Revisited

[St Enodoc]

5 hours ago, Andy Keane said:

I have spent a happy hour looking through my books of colour images of the western region from the late fifties and early sixties. I conclude that literally every colour scheme on my test track could be found somewhere on the region. So I just have to pick one and go for it. Then I will dirty it around the various parts of the station like the engine shed and goods yard.

The Western Region was a big place! I'd try to focus on the photos of Cornwall.

[The Stationmaster]

20 hours ago, Andy Keane said:

I have spent a happy hour looking through my books of colour images of the western region from the late fifties and early sixties. I conclude that literally every colour scheme on my test track could be found somewhere on the region. So I just have to pick one and go for it. Then I will dirty it around the various parts of the station like the engine shed and goods yard.

Pick those from the West of England as the ballast will have most likely come from Stoneycombe for all of those so they would have had similar starting hue before weathering.

[Mulgabill]

On 29/08/2022 at 19:12, Andy Keane said:

Tony

thanks for this - I have been and looked again at Helstonish and see what you mean.

But then I also saw your photo https://content-eu.invisioncic.com/y320084/monthly_2022_04/1510618673_DSC_1280(4).JPG.f5b5df94782e36ca1007d0b9c2cd4015.JPG

and there I think my "lower left" colour is closer to the track colour under the Manor?

But by the time I have added track grime, cinders and oil I guess it will not matter much.

Andy

 

The important thing, is that you should be happy with the result.

 

In the case of the pic quoted, I would say that it bears out my comment, that the rust colour of rail,

now tends to be a redder colour than my recollection of the 50s /60s. Foxy was standing on 21c rails.

I believe in steam age the rails were a duller brown. But as I say you need to find a match with your

inner vision.

 

One thing is certain, nobody will be able to say you are wrong, as there was, and is, such a diverse

range of evidence.

 

All the best

TONY

 

 

[Andy Keane]

As I plan towards laying the ballast I have been thinking about the areas between tracks in the yard that are not obviously covered in ballast but are not bare earth either (probably cinders in real life?). I think that Graham T uses some form of seed scattered onto glue to give these areas texture.

In the picture below I have tried textured paint, either a concrete paint (to the left) or a tarmac paint (to the right), which when dry I have coated in acrylic grey followed by track grime or track oil. I have left just one bit of each textured paint bare as well (lower left and extreme right, concrete and tarmac).

Apart from merging this with the ballast what do people think? To fix the merge with the ballast clearly I would put the paint down first.

Andy 

angled view:

top view:

[Graham T]

I think the concrete texture paint looks pretty good myself.  At Chuffnell R I've used the infamous chinchilla dust on top of polyfilla.  Very thin rolled layers of Das clay, on top of PVA, work as well instead of the polyfilla.

Edited August 31, 2022 by Graham T

[Andy Keane]

Just now, Graham T said:

I think the concrete texture paint looks pretty good myself.  At Chuffnell R I've used the infamous chinchilla dust on top of polyfilla.

Thanks - it turns out to be pretty easy to apply but like plastering walls it needs a soft edged blade to smooth it over - I have a long bladed palette knife I got for a few pounds from our local art shop that seems to work OK.

[Graham T]

An offcut of plasticard, or an old bank card, works well for smoothing I've found.

[Mulgabill]

How about a mix of PVA + Exterior filler + water.

 

Applied with a 1" brush, and variations in proportions to taste.

 

Sounds a bit bohemian, but can be fun, and effective.

 

TONY

[Andy Keane]

Bridge painting continues.

I think I may revisit the arch stones and make them all the same colour as they would have been faced together probably from the same source.

Then there is the other face to do, followed by weathering in.

[mallaig1983]

That looks fantastic. Your patience is being rewarded. 

[Graham T]

Yes that looks excellent.  Random, but not too much so, with the variations in the colour.  Tricky to get that looking right.

[Andy Keane]

I now turning to how best to model the actual landscape at Helston. I think I am going to go with XPS CraftFoam in 15mm sheets and stick these together in layers to build up the ground either side of the cutting and around the station. I have gotten a sheet of 15mm building insulation foam to play with and make templates from. This was just under £20 for a four foot by eight foot sheet and is very fast to cut and shape though a tad messy to work with. I think I will then try FoamCoat to put on a top skin (https://modelshop.co.uk/Shop/Item/Foamcoat-500ml/ITM3435 ). Has anyone had a go with it? This is the station building sitting on some foam with fence and pavement lines.

[Graham T]

I'm looking forward to seeing the landscaping start.  It felt like a big step to me, and really moves the layout forward.

[Andy Keane]

3 hours ago, Graham T said:

I'm looking forward to seeing the landscaping start.  It felt like a big step to me, and really moves the layout forward.

Yes - I have a sense of trepidation, as once I start nailing things down to the boards there is no turning back and I am always thinking have I forgotten to prep things before putting something in the way - the order of doing these jobs seems to really matter.

[Graham T]

Indeed.  Having followed this thread for a while, I think you're a much more thorough planner than me.  But - do expect there to be something you've overlooked.  And another but - there will always be a way around any unforeseen snags that crop up!

[Andy Keane]

The bridge is now pretty much finished. It needs a bit of greenery growing up it and a train-spotter looking over the parapet but I will leave those until it is fixed in place and the embankments added.

[5BarVT]

14 hours ago, Andy Keane said:

and a train-spotter

You missed a word out - ‘and a bored trainspotter’.  Not many trains at Helston.

Perhaps you need one that only appears when a train is about. (Jack Dugdale Ortogo Gimmicks for those of a certain age!)

Paul.

[Andy Keane]

7 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

You missed a word out - ‘and a bored trainspotter’.  Not many trains at Helston.

Perhaps you need one that only appears when a train is about. (Jack Dugdale Ortogo Gimmicks for those of a certain age!)

Paul.

indeed - the timetable shows just eight workings per day including two mixed and one goods service. But I have always found the little people placed on my layouts to be very patient.

Andy

[Andy Keane]

Under the guidance of my elders and betters and armed with the Wills kit I have attempted to "represent" the facing point locks at Helston.

One has a fouling bar so the drive from the rodding goes to the fouling bar and the bar then drives the FPL, while the other is simpler and just drives the FPL directly.

The rodding will be the rather finer ModelU stuff but they don't do the FPLs. Neither does the signal detector that was also present and thus so far I have not done anything about that. All errors are strictly mine and not theirs - the drive to the fouling bar is clearly not quite right neither is the drive from the bar to the FPL but hey ho.

When its all painted rusty brown and the covers are in place they will hardly notice of course!

Fouling bar and drive:

Drive from the other end of the fouling bar to the FPL with cover removed:

Plain FPL with cover removed:

Edited September 9, 2022 by Andy Keane

[Andy Keane]

A splash of paint and a little more detailing on the fouling bar drive, plus the cover in place. Now I can start to add ballast.

[Andy Keane]

I am finally starting to create some landscape - first up are the foam blocks for the cutting. The wooden structure at the back is the cover for all the power supplies and its top will be removable with a field and some cattle on top. The bridge is a fairly faithful copy of the actual one but the position of my fiddle yard means the curve has to sharpen a good deal on the far side so I can only just squeeze bogie coaches through the rather narrow opening. As yet I have not quite decided what the top coat on the foam will actually be made of.

[longchap]

Hi Andy,

 

I've been quietly lurking on your thread for a while and now need to go back to the begining to appreciate all the hard work getting to this stage. However, with scenery starting, you've passed another milestone and the messy bits now commence.

 

Bon courage as we say in my parts and I trust you'll get on famously.

 

Bill

[Andy Keane]

Visit to the autumn steam gala on the Severn Valley Railway today. Much fun had and a small loco shape gift purchased by the good lady as a surprise for Christmas.

[Andy Keane]

I find my locos are multiplying in n umber. I must try and work out how they are doing this.

[Graham T]

It's a problem isn't it?  Mine seem to do the same.  Mind you, at least I don't have a Deltic 😉